Brevity is the soul of something or other

...Sorry, not a real post, but a few of you might find this other blog post interesting as it talks a bit about what I'm doing in my day job, as a visiting US journalism professor interviewed me and visited my workplace:
A visit to New Zealand’s biggest sub-hub

'Tis the season to be covered in swaddling

• There's nothing more disturbing in downtown Auckland than the creepy Santa statue for the Farmer's Parade every holiday season. Nothing, that is, except for Horribly Disfigured Shrouded In Bandages Mummy Santa Claus instead. (I know, they're going to "unveil" the Santa's new look in a week or two, but I still think it's really disturbing to have a giant mummified Santa Claus looming over downtown Auckland in the meantime.) "Daddy, why is Santa bleeding?"

• I found this piece a quite interesting (and discussion-provoking) musing on the future of the "blogosphere," even if there is such a thing. I have to admit that after nearly 6 years of doing this I don't know how much longer it'll go on, and several other bloggers I like have called it quits this year. Anyway, it's a good look at the longevity of blogging, which is something few really consider when they start it up. It's strange that suddenly thanks to Twitter and Facebook, blogging, which was like totally now in 2004, suddenly seems a bit retro in 2009. It's a damn fast world.

• Speaking of twitting, I am fairly Twitter adverse, I'm afraid, but have to make an exception for The Fake AP Stylebook, which is actually done by several fellow bloggers I "know". If you're a journalist and know AP style, this is hilarious, but it's funny even if you don't.
As in:
Guerrilla soldiers use unorthodox tactics. Gorilla soldiers are awesome.
or
References to Canada as "America's Hat" are frowned upon. The correct terminology is "Gateway to Alaska."
or
The passive voice should be avoided by you.

• I'm getting ready for my parents to make their every-few-years trek to New Zealand next week, and there's some family issues coming up as well, so posting is likely to be even more anemic than normal for a little while. Cheers!

Revenge of the spawn of the links

So the wife noted recently how we managed to have a relatively illness-free winter down under. Whereupon I, of course, immediately got struck down by Phlegmius, the God of Mucus. In the absence *snnork* of good health, I offer random links that amuse or intrigued me of late:

• Witness the worst celebrity wax figures ever. I love the President Obama one, who looks like an old Jim Nabors figure spray-painted black.

• Y'know, in the accolades and appreciations after the untimely death of Patrick Swayze I realised I had never seen his 1986 masterwork "Road House," in which he plays a zen bouncer who's like the Confucius of bar brawls. It is not quite as awesome as "Point Break," mainly because it doesn't costar Keanu "Whoa" Reeves, but it is still startlingly cool as a piece of '80s cheese and übermanly exuberance. Plus, throat-ripping! Pop Matters examined "the Tao of Dalton" a while back, and it makes for excellent Swayze-musing.

• I never really thought about it before, but I do dig sci-fi movie corridors! In praise of the sci-fi corridor.

• Whenever a handful of really famous people die it really, really annoys me when people talk about a "plague" of celebrity deaths or the whole "they come in threes" myth, as if famous people (and regular, non-famous plebians) didn't die every single day just because that's what people do. So I quite liked this NY Times article which looks at the real reason the media/online world seemed to constantly be freaking out about people dying this summer: The Summer of the Celebrity Deaths? Boomers realizing they're not immortal? Egad!

• I've mentioned before that Leonard Pitts is probably my favorite current newspaper columnist (close runners-up being the NY Times Maureen Dowd, who sometimes is too clever for her own good, and San Francisco Chronicle's Jon Carroll, who sometimes is too twee for his own good). Pitts manages to bring a consistently thoughtful yet genuinely concerned tone to his left-of-center observations. Anyway, this piece by Pitts is superb as he looks at what he calls "the howl of the unhinged and the entitled" we keep hearing from the US lately: The 'Culture War' is real and scary.

• Man, I grew up reading Marvel's old Star Wars comics, but I have to admit, they could be pretty wonky tales sometimes. The 11 least necessary Star Wars comic book stories. A great list from the fab Topless Robot, but where is Jaxxon the giant green bunny rabbit, darn it?

• Here's the thing -- yeah, if you're wearing a yarmulke or a turban out or the like on the streets and get hassled for it, I can see the outrage. But if you insist on being a grown-up and going out in public dressed like a Jedi Knight and then want to sue over religious discrimination -- well, you're a dork. Jedi church founder 'emotionally humiliated.'

• Finally, because we all need more Lego art: A functional cello -- made out of Lego.

On the other hand, Mickey Wolverine would be awesome.

It's the last week before a nice holiday, so forgive me if my mind is scattered....

• Wow, so Disney bought Marvel Comics, eh? Well, my reaction is a bit more than "I don't really care" as some comics bloggers have said. If you read comics, it's an interesting development. All this corporate intrigue takes place at a level well above my head; I would hope we won't have a Spider-Man/Mickey Mouse crossover anytime soon, but I dunno. Disney has huge pockets, and could do good things for the comic industry; or it could just be an excuse to sell more DVDs and milk the teats. I reserve judgment, but yeah, this is a game changer in a lot of ways for the comic book business. I have often feared that the monthly paper comic book may be going the way of the cassette single; I don't yet know if this will hasten that or reinvent comics as a mass appeal medium entirely. Either way, these are interesting times. Who would've predicted a decade ago "Iron Man" and "Wolverine" movies would be worldwide smashes? (*I saw this illustration at Will Pfeifer's "Movie Man" blog and had to borrow it.)

• Behold: the Lego house! Wonder how it is in the winter.

• Short review: Wacky title or no, "Inglourious Basterds" is a heck of a lot of fun. Better than I'd hoped, because Tarantino's last movie "Death Proof" was a rather dull and mean-spirited slog, and I've really tired of the man's motormouthed egocentric public persona. But he's reminded me of his inescapable talent -- he does know how to make one hell of a Nazi-slashing entertainment!

• If you eat your dog, is it a crime? This is a couple weeks old, but an interesting debate recently here downunder. Cultural prerogative or just doggone nasty dinner?

• My thoughts go out to the victims of the 49 Fire in Auburn, California, not 20 minutes from where I grew up -- more than 60 homes burned on a highway I've travelled hundreds of times in my life. About 20 years ago there was another 49er Fire in that same region which burned all over the area and you can still see the scars today. Growing up in the California foothills, I often thought grass's natural color was a bright and dry yellow. Unfortunately, in August heat it's a disaster waiting to happen. I hope the folks affected by these blazes are OK.